Letters to the editor: 06-11-17

Monday

Jun 12, 2017 at 9:00 AM

Contributed Content

English in California

We are not a Spanish speaking state or nation, we are supposed to be an English speaking state and nation. Somehow our lazy politicians have never made English our official language in the USA, but we all know and the world knows we are an English speaking country going back to 1776.

As a Mexican/Dutch-American in ancestry, I am 100 percent American in culture and that is what we all are in America. As a Marine combat veteran we did not speak Spanish in combat we only spoke English, no bilingual in combat.

Our culture is American not Mexican or Canadian or Peruvian or anything else. What we do behind closed doors is our business. When you bring your culture and language out into the streets and demand that America must learn your ways, that is not the way life works in this world. Unless you are rude.

You don't walk down our streets in America waving Mexican or Russian or Dutch flags. Our schools are failing and we are graduating students who speak Spanish with very little English fluency. Our students in California failing; can't do math, English, or get into any colleges or universities.

Almost two billion people on Earth speak English and about 400 million speak Spanish. English is the language of business worldwide, education worldwide, advanced academic studies. Spanish is nowhere to be seen in the graduate facilities of the world. Without excellent English skills you fail. Business waits for nobody.

In California we have politicians who support two hate groups: LaRaza and MECHa; both Mexican groups whose only goal is to take over the Southwest by population growth. They are well on their way. I have been to their meetings and it is a frightening experience.

Support America the beautiful!

Dan Daniels

Oak Hills

The answer

Through life experiences down through the ages, human intelligence, self-awareness, and consciousness caused recognition that survival of the species depended on the tribe. For the tribe to survive, working together, caring and protecting each member is necessary. Leaders were chosen, rules were created, thus mores and cultures were formed. One only needs to study lower primates today to recognize the family unit, the herd, exists. Chimpanzees and gorillas exhibit compassion, sorrow and love. Just watch nature inaction.

Gods were imagined and given power and provided "answers" for the inexplicable. This mindset still exists today with religious apologists claiming that their particular scriptures are infallible and not to be questioned, no matter how contradictory and are the only way to "salvation" in an imaginary afterlife. If believing that a philosopher/god-man, dead for two millennia, died for your sins, loves you, and that this belief/opinion is a ticket to your perceived paradise and is a needed comfort to survive the "suckiess" of this life, so be it.

The threat of eternal torture for disbelief is nonsensical, as what "loving-God/Father" would do that? I find my joy and comfort in loving others, doing my best every day, sharing whatever good fortune comes my way and trying to leave this world a bit better than I found it, to paraphrase Emerson.

My commentary and biblical quote referencing the wealth of a popular evangelist was not an attack. It was calling to attention that it appears contradictory to amass such wealth in the name of one who decried it and as the legend described appeared to have lived a simple and humble life. I stand by my statement: Religion is big business, just ask Joel Osteen, who lives in a $10 million house with personal assets over $14 million.

Nancy Oswald

Silver Lakes

Museum a disappointment

We saw the article in the paper last week about the Victor Valley Museum, so we thought it really sounded interesting and something we would enjoy. What a huge disappointment. The name is Victor Valley Museum. I expected to see the history of this valley, instead there were very few human interest exhibits, but hundreds of rocks from all over California and other places. It should be called the Rocks of California Museum.

Each city could have had a display of their towns and how they were founded and by whom. I wanted to see how our cities have grown and developed over the years. In short, I expected to find out the history of the Victor Valley. My family has lived here over 75 years and I went through the schools of the Victor Valley. I would bet that any school in this valley has more about the history of our area then the museum.

How sad that people who come to this museum will get very little information about the history of this wonderful valley.